Kolkata: Senior advocate Vrinda Grover will be representing the family of the RG Kar rape-murder victim. The case is scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court on Sept 30.
Till now, there have been four hearings in regards to the case — Aug 20, Aug 22, Sept 9 and Sept 17. Till Sept 9, the Supreme Court’s order recorded senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya representing the family of the deceased.But the last hearing, which took place on Sept 17, recorded Grover as their lawyer.
Grover has taken up the family’s case as pro bono and will be representing them at the Supreme Court and other courts. According to the family, they approached her because of Bhattacharya’s tight schedule. “She is a top lawyer and we decided to take her help,” the father of the deceased said.
Grover has more than 34 years of experience in constitutional law, criminal law and human rights. She has actively engaged with women’s rights and broader human rights movements.
Grover has appeared for survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment. She was appointed the amicus curiae in the Nirbhaya gangrape case and some other prominent cases, include Soni Sori rape case, 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Hashimpura killings and 2004 Ishrat Jahan case.
During the last hearing, the Apex court had also mentioned about the victim's family's allegations. The victim's father requested CBI to secure footage of CCTV cameras focused on the hospital's seminar hall, where the crime took place, as well as those covering all entry and exit points of the hospital, sources told TOI.
After CBI shared with SC the letter, the SC bench said: “Bearing in mind the genuineness of the concerns, we are of the view that the inputs that have been furnished by the father of the deceased should be duly taken note of by the IO so that appropriate modalities are followed to explore the leads that have been indicated in the letter.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta then assured the court that CBI would maintain contact with the parents and keep them informed hereafter to assuage their concerns and apprehensions. He also said that certain aspects of the apprehensions expressed in the letter have already been investigated.